Pirates' Paul Skenes on Cy Young Pace Before Rockies Game

The worst start of Paul Skenes' career now looks like an aberration, a strange and distant memory buried beneath a pile of scoreless innings, swing-and-miss stuff, and the kind of deep-outing dominance that reminded everyone why he is generally considered the best pitcher on the planet.

As the Pirates return home from a 3-3 West Coast road trip to open a three-game series Tuesday night against the Colorado Rockies, Skenes is doing what he did last season: making a strong run at the National League Cy Young Award.

The Pirates arrive back in Pittsburgh with a 22-19 record, having split six games against the Diamondbacks and Giants. It was a respectable road trip, nothing more, nothing less.

But maybe the most important development happened in the Sonoran desert, where Skenes took the mound at Chase Field and delivered the best start of his young season.

Second-Best Start of Career?

Eight innings. Two hits. Zero runs. Seven strikeouts. It was good enough for a 85 Game Score from Baseball Reference, the second best start of Skenes' young career according to this metric. The only other start that scored higher was a 2024 outing where he struck out 11 in seven no hit innings.

Last week was the kind of outing that makes the rest of the league uncomfortable. Skenes was not just good. He was inevitable.

May 6, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes reacts after the eighth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Hitters stepped into the box knowing what was coming and still could not touch it. He worked quickly, pounded the zone, and most importantly, he stayed on the mound deep into the game—a priority for him and the Pirates this season.

The first start of the year against the Mets at Citi Field on Opening Day feels like a different lifetime.

Skenes was knocked out in the first inning, uncharacteristically hittable, even though much of his trouble could have been attributed to the defense behind him.

Since then, he has been everything the Pirates could have asked for and more. His ERA sits at 2.36 for the season

Sights on the Cy

The National League Cy Young conversation is still early. The favorite right now is still Skenes, in part because one of his counterparts, Shohei Ohtani, is on an innings limit. Christopher Sanchez, Chris Sale and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are in the conversation.

But Skenes is leading that conversation, and anyone who has watched him pitch over the last three seasons understands why. He won the award in 2025. He is widely considered the best pitcher on earth. A slow start was never going to keep him down for long.

Aug 24, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches the Colorado Rockies during the second inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Now he returns to PNC Park, where the Rockies await. Colorado is a last-place team with a porous pitching staff (4.84 ERA; 29th in MLB), but their lineup can still hit (.250 AVG; 6th in MLB). Coors Field obviously inflates numbers both ways.

Away from Denver, the Rockies are more vulnerable. But they are still a major league offense, and Skenes will need to be sharp to extend his scoreless streak.

The rest of the series will test other parts of the Pirates' roster, namely a middle relief corps that has been shaky. The offense has a chance to continue their hot start this season against a Rockies team that has struggled to prevent runs.

But this night belongs to Skenes. And if he continues pitching the way he has over the past few weeks, the Cy Young conversation will continue to grow louder.

Key Stats

Pittsburgh's Punchout Drought: 30 strikeouts by pitchers over last seven days is 28th in MLB
Rocky Outings: 6.60 ERA over last seven days is last in MLB
The Pirates and Rockies have met a total of 240 times. The Pirates lead the series 126-114.

May 8, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman (15) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Probable Pitchers & Matchups

Game 1: May 12, 6:40 PM at PNC Park

PIT: RHP Paul Skenes (5-2, 2.36 ERA, 46 K)
COL: RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-4, 6.92 ERA, 26 K)
Key Battle: Lorenzen vs Pirates 2B Brandon Lowe (2-for-8, 1 HR in eight career AB against Lorenzen)

Game 2: May 13, 6:40 PM at PNC Park

PIT: RHP Mitch Keller (4-1, 2.87 ERA, 35 K)
COL: LHP Carlos Quintana (1-2, 3.90 ERA, 14 K)
Key Battle: Quintana vs Pirates DH Marcell Ozuna (.414 AVG, 1.055 OPS, 1 HR, 7 RBI in 29 career AB against Quintana)

Game 3: May 14 12:35 PM at PNC Park

PIT: RHP Carmen Mlodzinski (2-3, 4.50 ERA, 41 K)
COL: RHP Chase Dollander (3-2, 3.35 ERA, 47 K)
Key Battle: Dollander vs Pirates OF Oneil Cruz (First career matchup between the two)

Players to Watch

SP Paul Skenes (PIT): 8 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K in last start against Arizona
2B Brandon Lowe (PIT): .350/.391/.800, 7 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 6 RBI over last seven days
OF Jake McCarthy (COL): .400 AVG, 2 HR, 8 RBI over last seven days
SP Chase Dollander (COL): 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 5 K in last start

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